Innovation Realized: Design Strategy That Impacts Category Outcomes

When a Hong Kong toy factory sought to break into Walmart’s Spark private brand line, Ian Coats MacColl (Principal, icm.studio) and Kevin Gardenhire (Owner, Nivek) turned a single SKU opportunity into a full-scale category reset.

In just 90–100 days, they reimagined a 4-foot modular—optimizing shelf architecture, packaging efficiency, and product design—and delivered a projected +55% lift in retail sales. Their story highlights how merchant-centric design, cross-functional collaboration, and disciplined execution can reshape a category and strengthen retailer partnerships.

This conversation doubles as a practical playbook for Walmart suppliers, CPG leaders, and retail professionals ready to move beyond cost and product toward strategy, systems, and sustainable growth.

What You’ll Learn

• Building merchant trust through design strategy
• Shelf and packaging optimization that drives facings and margins
• Using “verbs of play” to design products kids connect with
• How a small team delivered a category reset in under 100 days
• The value of local presence and long-term relationships in Bentonville
• Why vendor consolidation and execution excellence matter at Walmart

Conversations On Retail

Conversations On Retail is a gathering place and resource center for retail and CPG executives, built to make it easier to stay current, discover the technologies and solutions shaping the industry, and connect with the people driving it forward.

We publish news, views, and reviews from staff editors, contributing experts, and trusted partners. Some articles are developed internally, while others are submitted by industry contributors or adapted from interviews and recorded conversations with industry leaders.